The European Commission is expanding the Innovation Fund with new funding opportunities for innovative decarbonisation projects. In December 2026, five Innovation Fund calls and auctions are expected to open.
Battery manufacturers looking to expand production capacity in Europe can apply for financing through the new Battery Booster Facility. Instead of a regular grant, the Battery Booster Facility provides an interest-free loan.
The European Commission has published a new Horizon Europe Cluster 5 call for new energy innovations. For this call, there is a budget of € 131,5 million availible.
The European Commission has released the first draft documentation for the Innovation Fund 2026 Hydrogen Auction (IF26). With a proposed budget of up to € 500 million, the fourth European hydrogen auction is expected to open towards the end of 2026.
With the CEF Energy Call 2026, the European Commission is once again making approximately € 600 million available for the expansion of European energy infrastructure. Compared to the previous year, one thing stands out in particular: the programme remains remarkably stable in its structure. Applications can be submitted until 30 September 2026.
As part of the 2026 work programme of the European Defence Fund (EDF), the EU is once again making a budget of approximately € 1 billion available for collaborative research and development projects in the defence sector.
the European Innovation Council (EIC) unveiled the latest Pathfinder Challenges for 2026 during a series of webinars. Among the highlighted topics is ‘Biotechnology for Healthy Ageing’, reflecting both rapid scientific developments and the increasing societal impact of ageing populations.
The European Commission has launched nine new calls under the Digital Europe Programme, aimed at driving digital innovation and reinforcing technological capabilities throughout Europe.
On 3 September 2025, the European Commission presented the second part of its proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028–2034, which also introduces a unique new programme to support culture, media, and civil society, called AgoraEU.
The European Research Council (ERC) has revealed that in 2025 a total of 478 Starting Grant will be awarded to early-career researchers across Europe.